


Cybernetic Necessities

by ElementarySaidHe (GetOffTheWarTable)



Category: Borderlands
Genre: Also there's an obvious pun on Rhys' last name, Dorks Who Live Together, Fluff, Gayperion if you Squint, Gen, Or they could just be REALLY close bros, So I mean you can just read for that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-21
Updated: 2016-01-21
Packaged: 2018-05-15 06:45:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5775688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GetOffTheWarTable/pseuds/ElementarySaidHe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rhys undergoes his surgeries for his cybernetic enhancements in order to get ahead in Hyperion. Vaughn has to take care of him. Hijinks ensue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cybernetic Necessities

**Author's Note:**

> I'm only really getting into Borderlands fic, and I really like it so far! It's sort of unexplored territory as there's not really a lot posted for the general/lesser known ships side of things. I'd really like to get into that! Feel free to leave me a comment or what-have-you to see how I'm doing!

“Rhys, are you  _ crazy?  _ That’s your  _ arm  _ we’re talking about, here. Not, like, an eyebrow or something -- although I wouldn’t want to lose an eyebrow, either --”

 

“Vaughn, buddy. Would you relax? It’s not like I’m going to have one-arm. They replace it. With a cybernetic arm. Arm 2.0.  _ And  _ there’s a cybernetic eye thrown in.”

 

Vaughn still didn’t look incredibly happy as he finished up his lunch. They always ate in the Hub of Heroism. There was just such an atmosphere there that made Rhys feel  _ alive,  _ and Vaughn got self-conscious in the lunchroom. Finger gunfights had never really been his thing.

 

“You’re crazy. What if it goes wrong?”

 

“It’s  _ not  _ gonna go wrong. Yvette, would you tell Vaughn that he’s so wrong?”

 

At that moment, Yvette came up with lunch and passed Rhys the rest of his change. “In my experience, Rhys has been wrong a lot more often than Vaughn has.” Vaughn stuck up his chin. “What’s the issue?”

 

“The, the cybernetics surgery. That I  _ am  _ going to be undergoing, whether Vaughn here signs my permission slip or not.”

 

“What, now I’m your mother because I don’t want them to tear your arm off?”

 

Yvette sighed and started to pick through her lunch to get to the best part. Dragonfruit was on the menu today, along with Mystery Meat TM and something that had the vague consistency of a potato. “Vaughn, I know it seems crazy to you guys in accounting, but a lot of people undergo things like this. It’s just cybernetic enhancement. They’re not even touching his brain, we’re going to be getting the same guy back at the end of it. Unless you want me to request they cut the asshole parts out, ‘cause I can totally do that.”

 

“They are going  _ nowhere  _ near the asshole,” Rhys stated, before his phrasing hit him. He scoffed. “Look. We’re gonna make it big, guys. You, me, Yvette. And if I’m gonna get the promotion ... all the big guys have enhancements. Vasquez went through that super-secret surgery a couple of years ago, right? And boom, he was right in Handsome Jack’s office for a few months!”   
  


“I heard the surgery was for his hair.”

 

“The surgery was  _ not  _ for his hair, Yvette. It was probably some super cool brain ... thing. And then there’s Harrity, he got that  _ extra  _ limb attached. And ... “ his voice fell to a mumble. “ _ Jack-totally-got-a-port-installed-too.” _

 

“Oh my God. This is your weird hero worship, isn’t it?  _ Yvette. Please  _ talk him out of this.”

 

Yvette wrinkled her nose at Rhys. “Have you already made the appointment?”

 

“Yup.” Rhys tilted his head up proudly. “Next week.”

 

“Then there’s not a whole lot we can do, Vaughn. Unless you want to flee to Pandora and live with the psychos for the rest of your life. You don’t break appointments, especially not for cybernetics,” Yvette informed Vaughn, who only ate glumly. “They’re  _ safe,  _ I’m telling you. He’s going to be fine.”

 

Yeah, did Rhys feel a  _ little  _ bad about Vaughn feeling bad? Totally. But this was for the best. For all three of them. 

 

( Don’t think about them cutting your arm off, don’t think about them cutting your arm off. )

 

Vaughn huffed out a sigh and looked down into his food, scrubbing one hand through his hair. “I ... guess, yeah. Whatever,” he breathed out. “Yvette, are you gonna take him? Because I’ve gotta get the apartment ready. They gave me a couple of booklets for the  _ incredibly dangerous operation  _ that I have to read through.”

 

Finishing up her lunch, Yvette nodded and even smiled. “I get to take a drugged up Rhys back home? Score.”

 

***

 

“Vaughn made me do my will before I left the apartment. I’m not even joking. Like, I came home one day and he had this guy standing in our apartment with a bunch of papers to sign,” Rhys blurted out as he saw Yvette leaning against the wall.

 

“Oh, really? Who’d you leave all your stuff to?” She asked as they started to walk. Feeling nervous, Rhys kept awkwardly crossing his arms together. Was he supposed to say goodbye to his human arm? It had his Hyperion tattoo on it, but it wasn’t his dominant arm and it was the only option.  He mentally gave his farewells until Yvette snapped her fingers at him.

 

“It’s not like I’ve got a lot of stuff to give. Left most of the stuff in the apartment to Vaughn; he’ll know what to do with it. And you’re getting lunch money.”

 

Yvette spared a chuckle as they entered the elevator. The medical section of Helios was located at the bottom of one of the towers. Probably because that was the easiest way to shove bodies out so they wouldn’t get caught in the incoming engines,  _ buuut  _ Rhys wasn’t going to think about that. Nope. 

 

“Nervous?” 

 

“What, me? No, not nervous. Never. No, it’s fine.” Rhys stuttered out, and Yvette raised her eyebrow at him. “Okay, look, a  _ little.  _ I mean, I’m not stupid, it’s ... they’re literally attaching a new arm to me, putting something into my eyeball, and putting a data port inside of my skull. Not to mention the tattoos for it, too. Like, that’s ... y’know.”

 

“I know. But they’re good, these guys. And when they’re done ... hell, you know how valuable you’ll be to Hyperion?” Yvette remarked. “I can’t be thrown out of an airlock ‘cause nobody throws requisition out of airlocks. Vaughn won’t be because I don’t think he’s spoken out in ten years. And now, you’ve got all these fancy gadgets on you.”

 

“That’s the plan,” Rhys muttered as they stood outside of the sliding glass doors of the Medical Wing. Inside, he could see various FIX loaders milling around. One was wearing a nurse’s cap. 

 

“Good luck, hero.” Although he heard Yvette, it seemed like she was very far away. Everything went fuzzy for a second before Rhys nodded and stepped inside.

 

“State name.” The Loader Bot intoned to him.

 

“Uh, Rhys,” he mumbled out, fishing for his identification. “Rhys Winz.” 

 

“This way. Mr. Winz.” As the Loader Bot started to move, Rhys just took a gulp of air and followed him.

 

***

 

Rhys  couldn’t remember most of the operation. It evidently wasn’t over, because when he woke up, Rhys distinctly noticed he was missing one arm. Through the haze of drugs, he swatted at a Loader Bot with his good arm to get its attention.

 

“Hi.”

 

“Where’s ... where’s my arm?” He muttered out, waving his good arm around. “It looks juuust like this one. But. I don’t know where it is. Do you have it?”

 

“Administering morphine.”

 

“Whaaat?” Suddenly, Rhys felt a  _ lot  _ more tired than he actually was, which was saying something. He remembered continually swatting at the Loader Bot. As he fell asleep, he just heard the Loader Bot’s warning voice.

 

“Ow. Ow. Ow. Administering morphine.”

 

***

 

“Is he okay? Shouldn’t he have woken up by now?” 

 

Vaughn’s worried voice was the first thing he was aware of as he woke up, everything coming into focus. Well, sort of. Half of his face was covered in a thick white bandaged that covered not only his eye but the data port, he presumed. Granted, he was in no state to realize that, and instead instinctively went up to pick at it. His arm wouldn’t move and he let out a little whine.

 

Somewhere, a doctorly voice said, “The arm will be nonoperational for about six hours until everything syncs up. You’ll have to keep an eye on him. The orderly administered a little too much morphine. Rhys here seemed to have engaged its defense systems.”

 

“ ‘Rhys here seemed to have engaged its defense systems,’ “ he responded back in a whiny voice, and suddenly, all he was aware of was Vaughn’s face in his own face. Not exactly something he was against seeing.

 

“Rhys! Hey. Oh my god. Are you okay?”

 

“ ‘Are you okay?’ “ Rhys mimicked again, picking up his  _ good  _ arm and hitting Vaughn in the shoulder. It came off as a tender caress.

 

“He’s okay,” Vaughn responded to the other hazy figures in the room, and Rhys slumped backwards into the bed. “C’mon, buddy, we gotta go. Medical wing is busy today.”

 

What came out of Rhys’ mouth was the most undignified and pathetic whine in the history of Hyperion. He was slowly forced to his feet with one arm slung around Yvette, after Vaughn proved too short to provide much support.

 

“C’mon, Vaughn. This is our one opportunity to mess with him,” Yvette groaned as she nearly dragged Rhys along the hallway. Rhys, incredibly addled, barely stumbled along with her. His eye was mostly trained on Vaughn. He hadn’t tucked in the back of his shirt, leading him to look a little like a duck.

 

“Quack, quack, quack,” Rhys slurred.

 

“We’re not messing with him and I’m trying to  _ concentrate,  _ Yvette. Okay, so I have to give him two more pills in twelve hours, three if he’s in a lot of pain. Then I’ve got to change his eye bandages in eight hours, but the ones around the port in six ... “

 

“Maybe  _ he  _ should take some pills,” Rhys murmured in Yvette’s ear, getting way too close and getting a little bit of drool on her neck. To Yvette’s credit, she didn’t even flinch, only laughed.

 

They managed to get into the elevator before Yvette cleared her throat and asked, “So, Rhys. When you become president of Hyperion, what’s the first thing you’re gonna do?”

 

“ _ BUTT STALLION,”  _ Rhys roared.

 

“That’s just a myth, Rhys,” Vaughn responded to him but couldn’t help but laugh a little with Yvette at the sudden outburst.  “Seriously, though.”

 

“I’m gonna get Vaughn to be my right-hand man. And Yvette can be my left-hand woman. And  _ then  _ we’re gonna be on top, baby.  You, me, Vaughn. Takin’ us  _ all  _ on vacation to one of the Edens. Gonna party until forever.”

 

The elevator opened and Rhys was dragged out, stumbling again. “Yvette,” he whined out. “Can I stay with you, instead? Vaughn’s so ...  _ booky.”  _

 

Laughing, Yvette shook her head. “And have to change your rancid bandages? Nah, I’ll leave that for best friend bonding time. And here we are.”

 

Once they were inside the apartment, Rhys immediately slumped onto the couch. Vaughn hesitated a little before putting the pills and pamphlets down, going to go sit by him. “You ... you okay, buddy?”

 

“‘ss... remember that time on Eden-4?” Rhys asked. “When we got so ... so, so,  _ so  _ drunk?”

 

“And woke up wearing each other’s clothing? Like, underpants  _ and  _ socks? Yeah.”

 

“Yeah. Can I borrow your shirt? That’s a  _ nice  _ shirt.”

 

Rhys grinned at him a little as Vaughn suddenly sat on the couch, putting Rhys’ head in his lap. “I heard that we should keep your head elevated in case you vomit and then choke on your own vomit,” he admitted.

 

“So  _ sexy.”  _

 

“Yeah, well, that’s my job. Sexy caretaker,” Vaughn mentioned, patting Rhys’ hair. “Seriously. You okay?”

 

“Everything’s really, really blurry. Oh god.” Suddenly, Rhys rolled over on Vaughn’s lap and vomited, his forehead hitting Vaughn’s knee. “Oh god.”

 

“Oh-kaaay.” Slowly, Vaughn stood up and propped Rhys’ head up on the pillow. “I’m ... I’m just gonna go clean that up. You try to get some sleep.”

 

“You’re my bro. Just ... the biggest bro I’ve ever had. The best bro. As soon as I’m CEO of Hyperion, we’re gonna work together  _ every day.  _ ‘Cause you’re my bro. Come here, bro, let’s bro-kiss.”

 

Straining himself, Rhys tried to force himself off the couch. His lips were pushed out and pursed as he reached for Vaughn with his one good arm.

 

“No, we’re not -- I’m not kissing you. Oh my God. Just ... go to sleep, okay?” Awkwardly reaching over, he picked up a pillow and put it over Rhys’ waist as he started to clean up the mess on the floor. 

 

Rhys whined at him and kicked his feet out. Sometime between Vaughn finishing up cleaning the vomit and going back to the kitchen, Rhys passed out again.

 

***

 

“AaaaaAAAA **AAAAH--”**

 

Rhys was woken up by Vaughn’s screaming and he immediately lurched forward. Out of instinct, he also started to scream. It made a pretty sweet symphony.   
  
“AaaaaaaAAAAAAH!” 

 

Looking around wildly, Rhys’ eyes fell down on his arm. His metal hand. It was clenched tightly around Vaughn’s upper arm. Vaughn was yanking away from him, but Rhys barely felt it. 

 

Both Vaughn and him tried to tug his metal fingers back, to no avail. Continually, they kept screaming as Rhys felt himself get worked up.

 

Think. He had control over this.

 

Thinking very hard about how he moved that arm before it got torn off, Rhys slowly, deliberately moved each finger in tandem until Vaughn had his arm back.

Quickly, Vaughn rolled up his sleeve. A dark purple bruise spread out across most of his skin above his elbow and he looked back up at Rhys in pale-faced surprise. Rhys felt nauseated, but that was probably because he was up on his feet and swaying a little.

 

“Skagsuck. I am  _ so  _ sorry,” Rhys insisted, getting down on his knees next to Vaughn. The man in question was tenderly poking at the bruise and wincing.

 

“Wow. That’s ... uh. One hell of a grip you’ve got, now.” 

 

“Ooh. Ah. Yeah. That’s a big bruise. That’s a really big bruise. Is there anything I can do about that? Wow.” 

 

As he spoke, he looked a little around the living room. Vaughn had his laptop on the coffee table in front of the couch with a couple of empty mugs next to it. A small tower of books was tipped over next to the couch, and Vaughn had been sitting with his back to the couch.

 

Had Vaughn been holding his hand while he slept?

 

Awwww.

 

“I guess the pain medicine’s worn off?” Vaughn asked, rubbing his shoulder. “It’s around time to change your bandages. You wanna sit?”

 

“We’re just moving on from the fact that I  _ mauled your fucking arm?”  _

 

“It’s in the pamphlet,” Vaughn explained, pushing his glasses up on his nose and gesturing to the coffee table. “They said you probably wouldn’t know your own strength at first. And there’s a couple of exercises that they’ll want you to try. I got you a stress ball.”

 

Picking up the yellow Hyperion-brand stress ball, Vaughn beaned it at Rhys who caught it.

 

With the robot hand.

 

“That’s ... really cool,” Rhys gushed, glancing at himself and examining the hand all around. Each finger flexed. “Oh my God, Vaughn, this is  _ totally  _ cool. Throw something else at me. I’m gonna catch it.”

 

“What the hell do you want me to -- “ His eyes going to the pill bottle, Vaughn tossed it at Rhys, who caught it once again. “Good. Now give me one of those. This  _ hurts,  _ idiot.”

 

***

Rhys stared at himself in the mirror a few days later after the bandages were removed. That side of his face looked tender and a little red, but it was going down. Having sight in both eyes was something to get used to. At least he wouldn’t be tripping on everything, now.

 

“You think they would’ve put them in yellow. Like, for Hyperion?”

 

“That’s your dream, isn’t it?” Vaughn leaned in the doorway, drinking a glass of wine as Rhys admired himself shirtless. “To be a walking advertisement for our company.”

 

“No! No, of course not, it’s just ... I never thought blue was my color.”

 

“Seriously? Half your shirts are blue. I should know; I do your laundry.”

 

“I match the socks!” Rhys complained, before going to examine his eye. It was  _ very  _ blue. Wow. He got up close to the mirror and heard the eye constrict and widen, trying to examine the mirror. 

 

Instead, he got a fairly detailed diagnostic of  _ himself.  _ Medical, work, and general history.  It was ... really impressive and slightly scary, but his mind was already racing about how good that would be for his job. Knowing  _ stuff  _ about people before they even opened their mouth? Crazy.

 

“Hang on, hang on. Let me scan you.” Nearly giddy, Rhys turned around to scan Vaughn. “Woah, you totally have a book overdue at the Hyperion library. Duuuude.”

 

“Wow. That’s kind of insanely cool.” 

 

“Well, I mean. Don’t want to brag. Not as cool as your  _ number  _ glasses, but --”

 

“Shut up. That’s amazing.” Vaughn stepped forward to examine his eye more closely. Rhys turned the analysis off, because Vaughn being so close was a little nauseating for the eye. “This is literally the coolest thing. I don’t think even Handsome Jack could do something like that.”

 

Vaughn really knew how to compliment him. Rhys beamed and stood forward to give Vaughn a hug. They’d been doing the robot arms exercises together, and Vaughn’s arm bruise was even starting to heal a little.

 

“Let’s go out. I wanna scan  _ everything.”  _   
  
“No, you’re not. I literally just took the bandages off, Rhys, you’re waiting until you go back to work and then you can go ... scan everything you want.” Vaughn fidgeted a little, before asking timidly, “It’s not like X-ray vision, is it? You can’t see through people’s clothes?”

 

“I mean, you  _ are  _ looking pretty built.”

 

Vaughn’s hands went to protect his valuables. 

 

“I’m kidding. It’s not anything like that. I just get reports and records, anything that might be useful.” Rhys returned to look at the mirror, figuring he needed to get sappy for a second. “Uh. Thanks for putting up with all this. Basically being my nurse for the past few days. I know it wasn’t easy. Especially with the minor ... accidental assault. And, uh. Thanks, bro.”

 

“Hey, what are best friends for? And Yvette looked after you that one day, so you have to thank her, too. Besides,” Rhys said, looking sheepish and altogether unsure. “You’d do the same for me.”

 

“Right, totally. Hey, wanna see if I can go arm-wrestle a Loader Bot? I’m gonna go wrestle a Loader-Bot.”

 

***

 

Today was the big day. The day Rhys went back to work. Adjusting his tie into his pants, Rhys finger-gunned himself in the mirror. Maybe he’d spent an obnoxiously long period of time trying to get his metal arm to do the action smoothly, but it was so worth it.

 

“You ready? How’s the pain?” Vaughn asked, appearing at his side. 

 

“I’m more than ready. I’m so pumped.”

 

“Gonna go out there and rub it all in their snooty phases?”

 

“Yeah!”

 

“Gonna go out there and be the best damn CEO Hyperion’s ever had?”

  
  
“Yeaaaah!”

 

“Gonna go out there and kill  _ anyone  _ who stands in your way?”

  
“ **Fuck yeaaaah -**  wait, Vaughn, what?”   
  
“Too far, too far, sorry.” Vaughn responded bashfully as he straightened his bowtie. Together, they stood at the front door of their apartment, and Rhys couldn’t have felt better. He was going to rise in the ranks, and he was going to do so with his best buddy since  _ ever  _ at his side. Life was really, really good. 

 

Wordlessly, Rhys raised his fist and showed it to Vaughn. Vaughn didn’t hesitate to bump his fist back. And together, they went out to Hyperion.


End file.
